The Revived Portrait
by ShadowHawq35
Summary: What if Ib remembered who the mysterious sleeping man in the portrait was? What if...she decided to go back and save him? No romance, just friendship. Set a year after the Forgotten Portrait ending, rated T because I'm just paranoid like that. Hope you enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, this is my first Fanfiction for this fandom, so I'm really hoping it works out! **** I absolutely LOVE Ib, the storyline, the characters, the various endings. It is so well done! Anyway, back to the story. This chapter is pretty short, but I promise the others will be longer! I don't own anything, although I wish I did… yeah… anyway, please enjoy!**

Ib frowned up at the painting. It wasn't the most exciting painting she had ever seen, and the sight of it didn't dig up emotions, happy or sad, but for some reason it just bothered her. She didn't know why. It was just a painted man, propped up against a wall, in a deep, deep sleep, a withered rose stem in his hand, blue petals scattered around him. Perfectly harmless. So why did it bother her so much? Ib felt as if she should be mourning the sleeping man, crying as she held his limp hand. Ib suddenly found herself blinking back tears; she reached up and roughly wiped them away, telling herself to get a grip. It was just a freaking _painting._

"Ib, honey? Your father and I will be over in this gallery over here, okay?" Ib turned to see her mother standing slightly behind her. Her mother peered closer and a frown appeared on her smooth face.

"Are you okay, hon? You look like you've been crying." Ib forced a smile.

"I'm fine, mom, just some dust." She hastily reassured her. Her mom still looked slightly suspicious but shrugged.

"If you say so." Her mother shrugged, gripping Ib's father's hand tightly and pulling him into the next gallery. Ib turned back to the painting, frowning. She felt like she should know the man's name, it was on the tip of her tongue. Ib stepped closer to the painting, running her fingers lightly over the rose stem. What was it about this painting? Ib glanced at the ground in deep thought.

Suddenly an image flashed through her mind: a blonde girl holding a knife, advancing slowly, an odd look on her flawless face. A man-the man in the painting-running up a flight of stairs, pushing the blonde girl away, turning back to Ib, asking her something she couldn't hear, saw herself running forwards and enveloping him in a tight hug. He hugged her back and suddenly Ib was back in the art gallery, in the present, staring at the painting, her eyes wide. _Garry. _

As the name crossed her mind, a floodgate opened and memories poured out, images flashing behind her eyes. A perfect, deep red rose clutched in her hand, running down a corridor, the man in the portrait-Garry- sprawled on the floor, a withered blue rose near him. She saw herself dipping the rose in water, saw the health flooding back into Garry's cheeks, saw a little blonde girl asking them something, the blonde girl holding a knife, Garry exchanging his blue rose for the red one that the blonde girl now held in her fists. And finally, she saw Garry, slumped against the wall, an exact replica of the painting.

Ib's eyes flew open and she gasped, staggering back from the painting as if it were on fire. She felt coolness on her cheeks, and to her surprise, she found that she was crying. She _remembered._ Garry…Garry was still in the other art museum, the one that was haunted with dolls that watched your every move, paintings that crawled towards you along the cracked floor and arms that grabbed at you from the walls. Ib slowly sank to the ground, shivering and hugging herself as tears ran down her cheeks.

"Garry…I forgot. How could I forget? Garry, I'm so, so sorry. Garry…" She whispered, not even trying to control the shudders that wracked her slim body. Several people in the gallery looked at her with disdain and subtly moved farther away, none wanting to get near the crazy girl sobbing on the floor.

Eventually, Ib picked herself off the floor and glanced once more at the painting, nearly bursting into tears again, but she steeled her nerves. She was going back for Garry. Ib gently touched Garry's hand, imagining that she could feel the warmth, see the comforting smile that Garry would no doubt be giving her. Garry had been a brother to her. He had always taken care of her, comforted her…and in the end, gave up his freedom for her. Now it was time for her to do the same. Ib smiled through the tears.

"I'm coming, Garry."

**Please, please, please, PLEASE review, I would really appreciate it, even if it IS criticism. Yeah, other than that I don't really have much to say so…yeah. PLEASE REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

**This is my second chapter! I'm planning on updating probably once a week, maybe more, maybe less. Maybe…every Friday? Although I may not update **_**this **_**Friday because I've already updated twice this week. Thank you to blueflower1594 for the awesome review, I really appreciate it! I incorporated Mary into this story a little more than I actually planned, but I guess I'll just ride it out and hope for the best! Anyway, I do not own Ib, although I really, really wish I did. Please, enjoy! **

Once she had decided that she would be going back into that fabricated world, Ib's major problem was getting back into the other gallery. The writing beside the colourful painting she had come in through had specifically said that once someone decided to go back to the real world…there was no going back and no memories of your time spent in that twisted dimension. Ib looked again at the portrait of Garry, wishing that he would give her an answer. Garry knew everything; he would know what to do. He would be able to make it all right.

Ib reached inside a pocket of her skirt, feeling her fingers close around the thing she knew would be in there. The young girl pulled out a candy, just an ordinary lemon flavoured candy, cracked and cold from a year of sitting in her pocket.

It was a marvel it hadn't fallen out in the many washing cycles it had gone through. Ib wondered why she hadn't noticed it before. Maybe she had, and had just forgotten to toss it. Whatever the reason, Ib silently thanked her past self and closed her fist around the candy; one out of three items Garry had given her. The second had been a lighter, now sitting on her dresser. Ib had looked at it in confusion when she first found it, but had shrugged and stored it for further use. The third thing had been his rose, and ultimately his freedom. All of this, for her. Garry didn't deserve to be asleep forever; he was too good a man for that. Ib's hand shook, and she slowly unfurled it, half-afraid that she would crush the small candy.

"Ib, are you alright?" Ib spun around to see both her moth and father standing behind her. They were both peering worriedly at her face.

"I thought you were in the next gallery." Ib commented, nodding at the next isle. Ib's mother shot Ib's father a concerned look at turned back to her ten year old daughter.

"Someone asked if you were our daughter, and told us that you had broken down in front of this painting. Are you feeling sick, honey?" Ib's mother kneeled down so she could look Ib in the eyes and moved as if to take Ib's hand. Without knowing why, Ib shied away, looking away from the flash of pain in her mother's eyes.

"I'm fine, mom. Just…just a sad picture." She mumbled. Ib's mom glanced at the portrait, a frown furrowing her brow.

"I don't see why. It's just a sleeping man, Ib. The detail is incredible, though." As if in a trance, Ib's mom reached forward to touch one of the blue rose petals surrounding Garry, but Ib slapped her hand away. Her mother looked at her with shock and betrayal, and Ib's father looked outraged.

"I'm sorry, mom! I really…I just…I'm not feeling very well." Ib apologized quickly. The betrayed look was replaced by concern as her mother leaned forward to lay her cool hand on Ib's forehead. Ib resisted the urge to shrug it away as he r mother spoke again, "Do you want to go home, Ib?" Ib's eyes widened and she shook her head far too quickly.

"No! No, no I'm fine; I think it's just a cold." Ib looked at her parents' disbelieving looks. "I really like looking at the paintings!" Ib added hastily.

"Okay…but tell me if it gets any worse, all right, honey?" Her mother checked. Ib nodded.

"I'll come get you." Ib promised, desperately wishing they would go away. To her relief, her mom nodded and drew her father away, talking to him in a low tone. Ib watched them go for a moment and then turned back to the picture of Garry. The best place to start would probably be the place it had all begun: the painting. So maybe you couldn't go back in through the painting once you had already left, but it would still be a good starting point. Besides, Ib had no other leads. Her mind made up, Ib began to weave her way through the people crowded around the paintings, occasionally having to push someone aside as she headed for the biggest painting in the entire building.

She reached the room and slipped inside. Everything was the same as usual: The big painting showing the chaotic colors and shapes of the fabricated world, the otherwise bare walls, the perfect, shining floor and the heavy silence that pressed down on it all. No one ever seemed to come there. Ib guessed that even the people who hadn't been through what she and Garry had must have sensed the ominous presence there and unconsciously avoided it. But this time there was someone there. Ib cautiously approached the girl, who looked about a year younger than her, with beautiful, tumbling blonde hair and an emerald dress that clung to her slim body. There was something familiar about that girl…but Ib just couldn't place it. The girl was standing eerily still, her face cast in shadow as she gazed at the strange painting. Ib got slightly closer, and suddenly the girl spoke, without turning around or even twitching a limb.

"I've missed you, Ib." Although the voice was considerably colder and sharply edged, Ib immediately recognized it and stopped short, her breath catching, ice pouring through her veins. It couldn't be… could it? Ib got her answer as the girl slowly turned around. It was. Mary's beautiful, angelic face was exactly the same as it had been a year ago, except the childish innocence and loneliness was gone, replaced with cold, unforgiving eyes and anger stiffening her small face. Ib stumbled backwards as if Mary had pushed her.

"M-Mary?" She gasped. Mary just watched her, eyes calculating. She was exactly the same as the Mary of Ib's memories…yet so, so different.

"I t-thought you were…you were…" Ib stammered, and Mary's face twisted into a cruel smile.

"Dead? I don't blame you. I thought I was dead too. That is…until I found this." Mary held up a perfect, honey-coloured rose, the petals silky and lush. Ib's eyes widened in recognition.

"But…your painting burned!" Ib fought against the crushing sense of guilt as she remembered the terrifying, heart stopping moment when Mary had drawn her palette knife and charged, forcing Ib to burn the painting, all that was tethering Mary to her world. Mary laughed all emptiness.

"I don't doubt you wish you had finished the job, _Ib._" Mary spat her name like poison. "But apparently, since picking up the rose before, it now kept me alive long enough for me to find the nearest water vase and replenish it. Now this is my life force." Mary idly twirled the rose between her fingers.

"Strangely enough, my painting burning only destroyed two of the petals on this flower. Weird, huh, Ib?" Ib couldn't speak. She felt a lump in her throat, blocking all means of replying. She had killed this girl. Or if not killed, then at least she had put Mary through a hell of a lot of pain. Did that make her a bad person? No wonder Mary hated her. A violent shudder passed through her body, and she had to put one hand against the wall for support, while Mary watched with cold distain.

"What do you want?" She finally whispered. Mary grinned.

"I want a friend. I thought that eventually you'd remember your time in my world, and to my delight…you did." Mary's voice was high pitched and eerie now.

"There's no escaping this time. You will be with me until the end of time, and I will never be lonely again. You won't be able to kill me, I will have my rose with me at all times, and you won't have that _other _guy to take you away from me. It'll be just you and me, together forever. Won't that be fun, Ib?" Mary giggled, though the sound was too high for an ordinary human to make, and her eyes were still dark and hateful. Ib wanted to bolt; only the images of Garry kept her rooted to the spot.

"Mary…I'm sorry about what happened to you. I'm really sorry. I didn't want things to end this way. But I was scared. Scared and panicking, because Garry was all alone in the hallway, unable to move or even cry out! I was scared, Mary. Surely you can't begrudge me that." Mary's eyes narrowed.

"But that won't happen now, will it? Garry is dead. All his petals are gone, and he is left with nothing." Mary moved to grab Ib's hand, but the dark haired girl moved out of her reach. Mary's voice became desperate.

"Now you'll have no choice but to like me! Now we can play hopscotch, and skip stones, and draw together and laugh and be best friends! Now no one can take you away from me, Ib!" Mary's eyes were no longer filled with anger, or hatred. They were filled with a betrayal so deep that Ib shuddered, betrayal at Ib for burning her portrait, and then leaving without her. And alongside the betrayal was a sadness that was too old for this pretty, nine year old girl. Ib wanted t curl up and cry for doing all of this to a lonely painting who just wanted a friend, but she knew that she had to keep going, for Garry's sake. She stepped forward.

"Mary, can you take me back there? I don't think Garry is dead, and I want to bring him back ho-to the real world." Ib bit her lip, about to say _home_ but not wanting to make Mary's sadness even deeper. Mary's eyebrows shot up, and that vulnerable side of her was gone, replaced once more by that cold, calculating look.

"You think I _want _him back? He only ever caused us harm, Ib. If he came back, we'd be separated again. He's a demon, Ib, a demon." Mary spat. Ib hesitated. There was no choice.

"If you bring me to save him, then I promise I'll stay with you, Mary. We'll be best friends…forever. Just bring me back there, and let me take him back to this world, and then I'll stay with you for as long as you want. Please, Mary." Ib pleaded. Mary's eyes were shocked, but then her smile came back, full of hope.

"Really? You promise?" Mary asked, her eyes shining. Ib swallowed the feeling of dread.

"Yeah, I promise." Mary giggled madly and haled out her hand.

"Let's go save Garry then, shall we?" She asked happily, sounding like the Mary that Ib had known before. Ib took one last look up the gallery, thinking of all the people she'd never see again, of her mother and father. For a moment she was tempted to make a run for it, go back to the comfort of home and forget this had ever happened, but she remembered Garry's warm smile, his arms wrapping around her as he comforted her.

"Yeah. Let's go." Ib laid her hand in Mary's and the other girl laughed. The last thing that Ib saw before everything went black were three words, laid out carefully along the ground.

"Welcome back, Ib."

**Yay! A second chapter written! Once again, please review! If you like Ib, review! If you found out about Ib because of Pewdiepie, please review! And if you just want to, review! See you next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Yeah, so here's chapter three. It's pretty long, which is what I consider an achievement because when Friday started, I had maybe three pages and I was freaking out because I had to update today. Thanks again to blueflower1594, and to KiiroiNoAce for the wonderful reviews, I really appreciate it! Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ib or any of the characters associated with it. No matter how much I wish I did.**

The trip into the fabricated world was quick, but it felt different this time around. When before, Ib had felt like she was suddenly weightless in a world of smeared colors, now everything was dark, dark and cold, like Mary's eyes had been. Even Mary's hand, gripped firmly in Ib's, offered no comfort, just reminding Ib of the deal she'd made and making her skin crawl. The two girls landed in front of the large painting, in exactly the same place as before, except this time the lights were flickering, and the floors were hopelessly cracked. Ib slipped her hand from Mary's and took a step away from the blonde girl, unsure of how safe it was to be standing too close to her. Mary noticed Ib inching away, and her look hardened.

"Let's go get him then. But remember your promise." Mary reminded her, striding purposefully ahead. Ib looked nervously behind her, imagining she had heard something, but when her searching eyes found nothing, she scurried after Mary, unwilling to be left alone in the shadowy gallery for the second time. Though Ib was struggling to keep calm, she couldn't deny that the memories of this place was slowly reducing her to terror. Every painting they passed seemed to follow them with hostile glares, every crack in the floor was dark and seemed endless. Ib shivered, hugging herself. So this was where Mary had lived, all of her sad, lonely life.

"Are you cold?" Mary spoke without turning back, and her voice was indifferent, but the kindness that motivated that simple question still caught Ib by surprise.

"No, I'm fine." Ib murmured in response, trying to hide the fact that panic was slowly starting to take over. She was back in this gallery. She was _back. _Why had she even come here? She could have been home at that moment, enjoying her mother's creamy hot chocolate, or snuggled up under her covers reading a good book. But no. Instead Ib was alone in a deadly gallery with a psychotic girl who had tried to kill her and Garry without a thought to spare. Ib shuddered again, but took a deep breath to steel her nerves. Garry had been lost in this place for over a year, stuck in an eternal sleep. Ib knew that if it had been her, Garry would have never left her, would have given anything to wake her up again. _He_ wouldn't have forgotten.

Ib quickened her pace so that she was only just slightly behind Mary, almost beside her, extremely uneasy.

"So…uh, where are we going? Do you know how to get to Garry?" Ib asked nervously, casting another glance behind her. Mary didn't break stride.

"I do, if he's still where he was before. I don't know. I never bothered to check." Mary answered simply. Ib looked up at her, alarmed. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind that Garry might have been dragged away by some rabid painting or something. In her mind, Garry was still in the same place, unbothered by all of the chaos in this horrible world. Then another terrifying thought crossed Ib's mind.

"Do you think he starved? He hasn't had any food, or water or anything like that for a whole year!" Ib gasped, panic once more clouding her vision. Mary just looked at her for a moment.

"This world functions differently then yours. We don't eat, or drink. We _can_, but there is no need to. There is nothing but eternal emptiness in the Fabricated World, emptiness and loneliness like _you've _never even imagined." Mary spoke without a shred of remorse, her voice flat, merely stating a fact. Ib nodded, feeling again that twinge of pity for the lonely painting. She had to shake herself sharply and remind herself how it was _Mary_'_s_ fault that Garry was in this place at all, and if not for Mary, Garry wouldn't have lost an entire year of his life in an eternal sleep. Ib's fists clenched into balls. It was because of Mary that Ib was never going to see her parents again, or complain about school, make new friends, get a job, have a family of her own. Because of Mary, Ib had lost her future. Ib forced herself to keep walking, step after step. She was going to save Garry, no matter what the cost. Mary slowed suddenly and stopped, her head titled slightly like she was listening to something. Then she cursed under her breath, a words that the old Mary would never have said. Mary grabbed Ib's hand and began to drag her through the gallery.

"What are you doing? Let go!" Ib cried, batting at Mary's hand. She didn't want the girl even touching her before they saved Garry. Who was to say Mary wasn't just going to abduct her without even freeing him at all, keeping them both a slave to this cruel world? But Mary didn't let go, she just pulled Ib even harder. Ib dug her heels in, but she had underestimated how _strong _Mary was, and could do nothing as the other girl yanked her down a flight of stairs. Ib nearly tripped on one of the steps, but Mary roughly pulled her upright again and continued to run.

"Let _go!" _Ib ordered again, trying to pry Mary's fingers off of her wrist. Mary glanced back at her, eyes narrowed.

"Would you stop that, please?" Mary's voice was dripping with anger. Ib shook her head and pounded her free hand against Mary's back.

"Let. Me. GO!" She shrieked. Mary's eyes burned with anger.

"No! I'm saving your life, so stop complaining! Look _behind _you, idiot!" Mary hissed, turning back forwards so that she could see where she was going. Ib, on the other hand, cast a quick glance back, nearly tripping, and gave a little gasp. At least ten or twenty of those girls that were stuck halfway in a painting where crawling after them, their eyes filled with murder, the frame of the painting dragged behind them. They were in all colors too: red, blue, yellow and green, making it seem as if a bizarrely painted rainbow was chasing after the two girls. Ib turned around and began running in earnest, side-by-side with Mary now, instead of being dragged behind her, panic firing u the adrenaline in her body. The two girls flew around a corner, and suddenly the world was crayon,, smudged a little and looking like a piece of art by a five year old.

The last time Ib had been there, the sun had had a huge smiling face, and the grass had been coloured a cheerful green, with flowers spotting the field here and there. But now the sky was stormy and dark, the grass withered, and painted rain pouring down on them. Whenever a splash hit Ib, a small greyish blue blob of paint was left on her white shirt, soon leaving it almost entirely grey. Ib glanced behind her. The statues were gaining.

"We left Garry over here!" Ib yelled at Mary over the booming thunder. Mary glanced in the direction Ib was pointing, but shook her head.

"We have to wait until these painting have gone! We're going to need to hide in my house before we go after Garry!" Mary shouted. Ib glanced at her in dismay.

"But he's right over-" She began, but Mary cut her off, "NO! We're going to my house first! Then Garry later!" Her tone left no room for argument, and though Ib was unhappy about it, she didn't complain.

They raced up another crayon drawing of a road, leading to a scrawled pink house. Mary pulled Ib into the door and slammed it shut behind her, plunging the girls into pitch blackness.

"Ib, find me a candle or something. They should be in the far corner of the room." Mary ordered, her voice unwavering. But somehow Ib could detect a little unease in the other girl's tone. Was Mary afraid of the fire itself, or of Ib handling the fire? Either way, Ib couldn't blame Mary after what had happened last time. Actually, Ib was pretty surprised that Mary trusted her at all with flames, and in a strange way it made her feel like Mary could forgive Ib for what happened, in time.

"Yeah, one sec." Ib answered quietly, flinching as she heard something slam against the door Mary was still holding closed. Ib rushed to the far end of the room, but tripped over something on her way there and sprawled on the floor.

"Ouch." She muttered, picking herself back up and moving considerably more cautiously to the other end of the room. Once she felt the cool wall underneath her fingertips, Ib crouched down and began to feel along the floor for the candles and hopefully a match. Five more thuds sounded against the door and Mary swore.

"Hurry it up!" She yelled, her voice strained from holding the door closed against so many paintings. Ib nodded, forgetting for a moment that Mary couldn't see her, and swept her arms in a wide arc, hitting something small and hard. She picked it up, feeling cool metal and a little catch. She thumbed the catch and a small flame sprang to life as Ib breathed a sigh of relief.

"Will this do? I don't know where the candles are." Ib called to Mary.

"Yes, that'll be fine, just move! I need to be able to see the lock before I can actually lock it." Mary snapped. Ib got to her feet, careful to avoid brushing the flame over anything, and was about to run towards Mary when something caught her eye. A small piece of parchment, cracked and with one of the corners torn off, showing a childish drawing of Ib, Mary and Garry all standing together, holding hands as a smiling sun shone down on them. It was obviously Mary's work, and the blond girl had obviously put a lot of effort into making this picture. Into making her own happy ending, the one that she had never had. Ib felt a lump rise in her throat as she stared at the paper, only rousing out of her trance when Mary yelled at her to hurry up already.

"Coming!" Ib replied, rushing over to Mary and handing her the lighter. Mary flinched slightly as she took it, but she wasted no time in shining the light onto an old fashioned lock and whipping a key out of her pocket. Mary locked the door with a sigh of relief and stepped back, watching the door for any sign that the wood was about to snap. When it remained solid, Mary turned away and just looked at Ib, the flickering light of the flame casting shadows on her face. Ib cleared her throat, feeling uncomfortable under the intense gaze of the other girl.

"Um…so, do you have any actual lights in here?" Ib asked after a minute, desperate to relieve the silence and slightly nervous that Mary had the only source of light in the room. Mary hesitated.

"One." She answered quietly, moving towards the wall nearest the door and flicking a switch. The room was suddenly bathed in a warm, buttery light as a lamp hanging from the ceiling flickered to life. Ib looked around as Mary extinguished the lighter, taking in her surroundings. The room wasn't too big, big enough to be a bedroom, but nothing more, with beige walls and a wooden floor. There was a small sleeping bag stuffed into the corner, and a rocking chair in the middle of the room, slowly rocking all on its own. A pile of thick volumes were stacked in one corner, all in absolute perfect condition, way better than Ib could ever hope to keep _her _books. And then there were the drawings. Crayon drawings like the one Ib had seen before were everywhere, in thin piles on the floor, tacked up on the walls, half-entangled in the sleeping bag…and every single on of them showed Ib, smiling and happy, or Ib and Mary holding hands as they stood together. A family. Ib turned away from the depressing scene and met Mary's flat gaze. There was no trace of the vulnerable, lonely girl in her dark blue eyes, no hint that Mary was ever anything more than the angry, bitter girl she was now. It made Ib sad, to think about all the pain Mary had gone through because of the way she had come into the world, because of what she was. Because Mary was a painting, Mary would never get a family, never get a job, and never get a life.

Ib shivered and shook the thoughts away.

"How long do you think we'll have to wait here?" Ib asked suddenly. Mary shrugged.

"An hour at the most. The ones outside aren't the smartest." Mary answered, crossing her arms and leaning against a wall. Ib sighed. An hour, in reality, wasn't very long, but when Ib was so close to saving Garry, she knew it would feel like an eternity. And she was right. After about twenty minutes, she was almost bouncing on the spot with anticipation. So, she decided to pass the time.

"Do you want to play a game?" She asked Mary timidly. The blonde girl looked up, startled, her eyes huge.

"A game? With me? Really?" Mary asked, her guard down for the moment as wonder entered her eyes. Ib nodded, trying not to let the pity show in her eyes. Something told her Mary wouldn't appreciate it.

"Yeah. In this game, I'm going to say a sentence, and you have to add onto it with another sentence, and so on, so we end up making a story together. Wanna give it a try?" Ib asked, thinking of the first game that came to mind. Mary nodded.

"Okay, let me think. Um…there once was a girl in a castle." Ib began, picking something off of the top of her head. Mary sat down opposite Ib.

"And she wanted to eat some cake!" Mary added, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"And…uh…okay, so she wanted to eat some cake so she went to the kitchen."

"Then she asked her private cook to make some for her!"

"The cook made a magnificent cake, with waves of icing, and a chocolate core."

"Yeah! But after the girl ate the cake, she realized that she was sleepy."

"Um…so she went to bed?"

"But then monsters tried to attack her!"

"And…she fought them off?"

"She almost did! But then one monster nearly ate her, but a princess came in and saved her!"

"So… the girl thanked the princess, and the princess left?"

"But the girl didn't want the princess to leave. She was so pretty, and nice, and she had shiny brown hair and really pretty red eyes, and was really funny and friendly."

Ib paused, staring at Mary. She recognized a description of herself when she heard it, and suddenly wondered if Mary pictured the girl in the castle as herself. But Mary took no notice of her hesitation, obviously forgetting that she was only allowed one sentence.

"So the girl asked the princess to stay, and the nice princess said yes. But then an evil purple haired man came and took the princess away. So the girl was sad, and lonely in the end." Mary finished. Her eyes were no longer sparkling; they were slightly red, as if Mary was on the verge of crying. As if by an unknown urge, Ib moved forward and enveloped Mary in a hug. The blonde girl stiffened and tried to move away, but Ib held firm.

"I'm so sorry Mary. We would have taken you with us, but we were scared. And scared people make bad things happen. I'm sorry." Ib whispered. Mary started to shake, and Ib realized with a start that Mary actually _was _crying this time, for the first time since Ib had known her.

"You're lying." Mary whimpered, but she didn't sound very sure of herself. Ib tightened her grip.

"I promise you Mary, I'm not lying." Ib said quietly. Mary began to cry harder, and Ib said nothing, merely holding the girl as the thumps on the door grew less and less, and the rain outside poured. Finally, Mary pulled away, rubbing her eyes. Ib sat back, an idea suddenly taking form in her mind.

"When we get Garry back, we can take you home, Mary. This time, we can all make it back, instead of us staying here all our lives." Ib tried to be gentle, but Mary's head snapped up, her gaze burning into Ib.

"You're trying to escape. You'll just leave me here again, I know it." Mary hissed, standing and taking a threatening step towards Ib, all vulnerability gone. Ib scrambled backwards, thrown off guard by Mary's sudden mood swings.

"n-no, I-" Ib began, but Mary cut her off, "We are going to bring Garry back to where he belongs, and you will stay here, with me. Understand?" Mary's voice was low and deadly. When Ib didn't reply, she screamed, "UNDERSTAND!?" Ib nodded frantically, and Mary turned back to the door.

"They're gone. We can go save him now." As Ib began to shakily get to her feet, Mary fixed her with a piercing glare.

"And just to get things straight, you are never, _ever _going back there. You will live here. Forever."

**Okay, hope you liked my new chapter! I have a _lot _more of Mary in here than I actually intended, but I guess I just kind of went with the flow, so here it is. Please review and yeah…see you next Friday, maybe sooner. Hawq, signing out.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Next chapter is up! Thank you to StrawberryPockie, Marry, Mystery 5, KiiroiNoAce and Blueflower1594 for your reviews! I really enjoyed reading them! I hope you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ib *quietly sobs in corner***

Ib watched as Mary unlocked the door, the girl's anger evident in the tension of her slim shoulders and the rigid way she held herself, as if ready for a fight. Ib herself didn't feel mad at Mary for making her promise to stay in this twisted world, not really, and she had even sort of forgiven Mary for stripping Gary's rose until there was nothing but a pitiful stalk. The feeling that Ib really couldn't shake was this disappointment in Mary, as if the girl had broken some sort of standard that Ib had expected her to uphold. Although Ib had done some horrible, horrible things, Ib didn't really hold her to them, didn't really think that Mary was a bad person. She was just desperate, desperate and lonely. Of course, Ib reflected as Mary swung the door open, all of that forgiveness could change, depending on what state Garry was in when they found him. All things being equal, Ib might well just attack Mary if Garry was badly harmed in any way, and Ib didn't know what, exactly, would happen _then_.

"Are you coming or not?" Mary's impatient voice snapped Ib back to the present, and she nodded meekly, following Mary into the growing storm outside. It seemed worse than before: the rain was now pounding the muddy earth, mixed in with small, hard balls of hail, while deafening thunderclaps resonated overhead. Ib shrank down, hugging herself to keep warm and trying to avoid walking through the puddles of watery paint, her long hair hanging wet around her face like a curtain. She kept her eyes on Mary's slim figure, the girl's emerald green dress swirling around her in the fierce wind. Mary, unlike Ib, hardly seemed bothered by the extreme weather, her head was held high and she splashed through puddles like they weren't even there, despite the fact that she was soaked from head to toe in the strangely coloured paint. Then, suddenly, Mary stopped and it was so unexpected that Ib nearly crashed into her.

"What's wrong? Why'd you stop?" Ib asked, ready to leap backwards in case Mary lashed out at her. But the blonde girl just pointed a slim finger ahead.

"He's there." She spoke tightly, obvious hatred underscoring her words. Ib's stomach clenched as she deciphered Mary's definition of "he". Garry. Suddenly she felt so, so nervous. What kind of state would he be in? Dying of dehydration? Starvation? Despite what Mary said about not having to eat or drink in her world sounded a little too good to be true, so Ib braced herself for the worst and stepped out from behind Mary.

When she saw him, propped up against the wall just like he had been when she had left, she gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. It wasn't that Garry looked any different than she remembered…on the contrary; he looked exactly the same and that was what was making her tear up currently. He was just so heartbreakingly _Garry, _from that face that she knew so, so well, down to his tattered jacket; the one that he had draped over her when she fainted so long ago. His eyes were closed, and he looked so peaceful, exactly like he was asleep, but Ib knew better.

"Garry… Garry!" Ib yelled, running up to him and throwing herself on top of him, hugging him so tightly that she was afraid she would break something. But she couldn't stop. It just felt so good to hold him again, to hug the big brother that she had never had.

"Garry!" She sobbed, burying her face in Gary's shoulder, and crying harder than she had ever cried before.

"I'm so, so sorry, Garry! So, so sorry! Please, pelase forgive me, Garry, please. I love you, Garry!" (**A/N: in the big brother/little sister way, not in the whole romancy thing**) She sobbed. He even _smelled _like Garry. She stayed there for the longest time, her chocolate hair scattered all over her face, curled up on Garry's lap like a small child, her arms around his neck, half-afraid that if she let go, he'd disappear. Then Mary coughed behind her, and Ib turned halfway to look at her.

"Can we hurry it up please?" Mary's voice was cold and bored, and her eyes were as sharp as knives. Ib slowly wiped her eyes and shakily stood. Mary was right. Ib needed to save Garry, that's what she had came here for, not to snivel and cry like a five year old. She looked once more at Garry and located his wilted rose stem, gripped tightly in his hand. With gentle fingers, she pried it from his grasp and stood, swaying slightly.

"Do-d-do you k-know where we can find a v-vase?" Ib asked Mary, choking on her sobs. Mary nodded briskly, looking down at Ib with an expression that she couldn't identify, probably thinking her weak for crying like this. Ib straightened.

"Show me." She ordered, shoving back the worry that this wasn't going to work, and pushing away the overwhelming urge to just sit with Garry and cry like there was no tomorrow. Mary nodded brusquely and spun on her heel, striding away. Ib paused for a moment, touching Garry's hand lightly with her fingertips.

"I'll be right back." She whispered. As expected, Garry made no acknowledgment that he had heard her, and Ib, with a small sigh, chased after Mary. Mary was moving so fast that all Ib could see of her was a swirl of green dress disappearing around a corner so Ib put on some speed, terrified that she would lose the blonde girl. She caught up with Mary a few minutes later, breathing heavily, her clothes heavy with wet paint. Mary was staring down at a small table, polished to the point of shining, spotless and out of place in the run-down, abandoned art gallery. Placed carefully in the centre of the gleaming table was an equally polished blue vase, curving gently upward. More beautiful then any of that though, was the clear water resting in the vase, just ordinary, shimmering water. Life-saving water.

Mary suddenly thrust her hand towards Ib, beckoning impatiently for the rose stalk. Ib held it tightly for one last second and gave it over to Mary, watching carefully in case the younger girl decided to run off with it, leave Garry asleep forever. But Mary just plunged the stalk into the water and waited. For the first few seconds, there was tense silence, and Ib began to panic, thinking that it wasn't working. But then the stem began to straighten, a healthy green color flowing into it, and a single, lush blue petal unfurled at the tip, waving gently in a non-existent breeze. The first petal was quickly followed by another, and another, until soon the flower was whole again, a flawless, azure blue rose resting in a now empty vase.

Ib reached down with a shaking hand and gently picked it up, cradling it against her chest like the flower was a precious gem, her eyes closing briefly. It had worked. Ib's eyes snapped open again and she took off running back to where Garry sat, forgetting completely about the pouring rain and freezing wind. All she cared about was seeing Gary's eyes opening, seeing his warm smile as he ruffled her hair.

Ib skidded around the last corner and threw herself once more at Garry, pushing the rose into his hands and curling his fingers around the stem, watching his face for a hint of life. But nothing happened, and Garry's face remained as still as it had been for a year. Ib's crimson eyes widened with panic and she pressed Garry's fingers around the rose stalk even harder than before. He didn't move.

"Garry?" She whispered unsteadily. Then louder, "Garry?"

When he didn't react, she started to shake.

"Garry, please wake up. Garry, please! _Garry! _Don't leave me alone! GARRY!" Ib yelled, shaking him. When there was no response, she started to cry.

"Garry, please. Please, please wake up! _Don't do this to me Garry!_ You…you said we'd both make it out of here. You promised!" Ib cried, tears mingling with the raining pain on her face. Ib could sense Mary watching apathetically from behind them, but Ib didn't care. She just wanted Garry back. She clutched his shirt, staring at his motionless face.

"Please." She whispered this last bit so quietly that she barely heard it, and she started to turn away in defeat, when Garry twitched. Her head snapped back around and she stared at Garry's face, _needing _him to open his eyes.

"C'mon Garry." Ib whispered, ignoring the still streaming tears. As if responding to her voice, Garry let out a weak groan and his eyelids fluttered open, revealing light blue eyes that stared at Ib incredulously.

"I-Ib?" He whispered hoarsely. Ib let out a cry and buried her head in Gary's shoulder, the soft fabric darkening with her tears. She felt him tense in surprise, and then his arms went around her, giving a reassuring squeeze.

"It's okay…It's okay…" Garry told her gently, rubbing her back, his voice still slightly rusty from lack of use. Ib clutched his shirt tighter.

"I w-was afraid that y-you'd never w-wake up." She sobbed.

"It's okay, you saved me, Ib. You saved me. I'll be fine." Garry soothed, but then Ib felt his muscles tighten.

"Is that Mary?" Garry's comforting embrace turned to a protective stance as he tried to get up, but failed, his legs weak from lack of use. Ib lifted her face from his shirt and wiped away the tears as best she could.

"It's okay. She's…on our side now. It's fine." Ib didn't want to go into full detail at the moment, not exactly looking forward to Garry's reaction once he found out that in return for Garry's safety, Ib had gambled away her freedom. No, that wasn't going to be pleasant. Maybe if she pushed him through the painting, and never followed him, there would be no way he could return to save her…yeah, that would be her best bet.

But for now, Ib just curled up in Garry's arms and took comfort in the fact that he was alive, alive and talking. She half expected Mary to force her away and remind her of the deal, but for once, Mary was keeping to herself and letting Ib have this moment of peace.

"Are you sure?" Garry asked, still sounding dubious. Ib nodded against his chest. But after a few moments, He managed to push himself to his feet, legs shaking with effort, and gently pried Ib away.

"I think it's time we got home." Garry suggested, smiling at Ib. The smile was meant to be comforting, but Ib found it anything but. She felt strangely hollow as she accepted Garry's open hand. There would be no going home for her, no reunion with her parents, no happy ending. For her there would only be this twisted world and Mary for the rest of eternity. All the same, Ib led Garry through the gallery and towards the giant painting that had first brought them to the fabricated world. As they stood in front of it, watching attentively, the giant golden frame shimmered slightly before fading, leaving the picture open for anyone to leap through. Garry turned towards Ib, his eyes shining.

"We made it, Ib! I can't wait to go back! Just how long were we here, do you think?" Garry asked curiously. Ib just shrugged, unable to speak past the lump in her throat. Garry laughed, not noticing Ib's miserable expression.

"Okay! You go first, Ib! I'll be right behind you!" He suggested. Ib felt Mary tense behind them, ready to reach out and snag Ib if she tried to leave. She let out a painful sigh.

"Why don't _you _go first, Garry? I'm…I'm scared." She lied, desperately hoping that Garry would accept that and go first. But Garry just squeezed her hand.

"We don't know if the painting will let two people go through, and I don't want to accidently leave you behind. It's safe, I promise." Garry assured her. Ib's shoulders sagged. She had to tell him.

"Um…Garry, I have to tell you something." Ib whispered, looking down at her feet. Garry looked at her in surprise.

"Yeah?" He asked curiously. Ib took a breath, glancing at Mary, who nodded slightly, her gaze flat.

"Garry…you've been asleep for an entire year now. I escaped and…and I was gone for over a year." Ib confessed. She could actually feel Garry's shock, like an invisible wall.

"Wait…a year? Are you sure, Ib?" Garry checked. Ib could only nod, training her gaze on the ground. She could feel the tension in Garry's body, but he forced a smile.

"Well, it's okay. You really shouldn't have come back and endangered yourself for me, but there's nothing we can really do about it now, right? Let's just get going." Garry started to pull Ib towards the portrait, but Ib dug her heels in.

"Wait…there's more." Ib whispered. Garry looked at her expectantly.

"I can't go." Ib's voice was almost too low for even her to hear, but Garry looked at her in confusion.

"What do you mean you can't go? C'mon Ib, the way home is right there…" Garry looked longingly at the painting. Ib followed his gaze, wondering how easy it would be to leap in there. Would Mary be able to stop her in time if Ib tried to go home? But no…Mary would just come to the real world for her, drag her back. There really was no way out. Ib blinked back tears.

"Mary…she only agreed to bring me back here if I promised to never leave her side. I…I can't go." Ib's voice cracked. Garry's hand slipped from hers and he looked at her in astonishment. Then his gaze slowly turned to Mary, and the incredulous look turned to one of murderous rage, before he charged the small blonde girl, who watched him come with a look in her eyes as if she were already planning his funeral.

**Yay! Another chapter done! Please let me know how you liked it, I await your verdict! And yeah…that's really all I have to say right now…see you next week! Hawq signing out!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Unless Ib is hiding somewhere in my closet… *checks closet* nope, I don't own them. Poo.**

**I'm sooo sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry, SORRY! I know, I was supposed to update…how long ago? A month? Two months? More? I was pretty busy with school, Christmas, New Years, my mom's birthday, reading other fanfictions and skiing, but that's no excuse, so once more **_**I'm so sorry! **_**Thanks to DeluxeMagnum69, KiiroiNoAce, Mysteries 5, Hex the Ninja and Katerina Burr for all your reviews, they keep me going! Anyway, this chapter is…okay in my opinion, let me know what you think! So yeah, without further ado, please enjoy the chapter!**

Garry hurtled himself forward, his eyes blazing with anger, his arms out to tackle Mary. As he approached, the lithe girl made no move to protect herself, only smiled slightly and lifted her chin confidently. Without thinking, Ib leaped forward and grabbed Garry's arm, digging her heels in and jerking the older man to an abrupt stop. He looked down at her in shock and tried to wrench himself free of her grasp. He probably would have been able to break free too, except that he was afraid to hurt her, and Ib was desperate.

"Ib let me go." Garry hissed, succeeding in dragging the smaller girl a few feet, his raging eyes fixed on Mary's calm face. Ib shook her head stubbornly.

"No! Garry, you can't hurt her! I made a promise!" Ib yelled, straining to hold him back.

"You don't have to obey any promises you've made with this _thing_! She's not human, Ib!" Garry reasoned, trying to pull Ib's hands away as gently as possible. But the girl wouldn't let go. She shook her head again, long chocolate hair flying and tightened her grip.

"Garry, I promised! I couldn't have saved you without Mary, I owe her!" Ib cried. Part of her wanted to let Garry go, save herself from this terrible future of crayon drawings and darkness. But she couldn't harm the girl who'd risked her life to help Ib, even if she did it for her own selfish reasons. Garry just looked at her, eyes disbelieving.

"Ib, she's a painting! You can't trust anything she says!" He shouted, jabbing an accusing finger at Mary, who smiled slightly, her eyes cold as she surveyed the scene.

"But she kept her promise so far, so I have to keep mine." Ib whispered reluctantly. Garry stopped trying to get at Mary and kneeled down in front of Ib, casting a suspicious glance at Mary as he did so.

"Ib, please. Imagine how your parents will feel if they never see you again. You don't have to do this." Garry pleaded, grabbing Ib's hands to force her to look at him in the eye. Ib looked at him helplessly.

"Tell my mom and dad that I'm sorry." She whispered. Garry's hands tightened on hers as he realized how serious she was.

"Ib…" He began, but suddenly Mary was there, roughly pulling Ib from Garry's grasp. She tugged so hard that Ib stumbled, nearly falling flat on her face before Mary caught her arm, non to gently, and hauled her back up, keeping a tight grip on her arm. Garry straightened and looked at Mary with a look that could kill.

"Let. Her. Go." He told her clearly, his voice clipped and dangerously low. Mary just smirked and Garry's hands tightened into fists.

"Garry, please! Just go." Ib begged as her friend took a threatening step towards Mary. She could visibly see how tired Garry was. He had been asleep for over a year, and now all of this exertion was starting to take its toll.

"That's right, Garry. Leave. We made a deal." Mary taunted, pulling Ib a step away from Garry. Garry made a sound deep in his throat, his eyes absolutely murderous. Ib had to end it quickly, or a fight would break out.

"Garry, just GO!" She yelled, turning the worry in her voice to anger, hoping that she could convince Garry of her fake rage. Garry blinked, stopping his prowling for a moment. Ib closed her eyes, took a breath, and prepared to do what she had to in order to save Garry.

Her crimson eyes flew open and she glared daggers at Garry.

"You idiot. I'm getting so, so tired of your high and mighty hero act. Don't you get that I'm just trying to get _rid of you?_" She yelled. In her head, she was constantly repeating: _I'm so sorry Garry, I don't mean it, I really don't mean it. I'm so sorry._

He looked at her in shock, and the bewilderment in his eyes nearly unhinged her.

"But…I thought…you came back for me…" He started, but Ib cut him off.

"I only came back because I wanted to stay with Mary. She's my best friend, and saving you was just an afterthought. I only did it because I felt a bit guilty leaving you here, asleep and alone. We just staged the whole "deal" thing so that you wouldn't have to know the real thing. But you're just too stubborn, so here's the truth: I don't like you. I never did, you were just a shield for me, a means to protect myself. Sorry, Garry, but you're just…too arrogant. I hate people like you, which is why we were never truly friends." Ib had to struggle to keep her voice even and aloft.

She nearly broke down, though, when the confusion in Garry's eyes turned to shock, and then hurt so deep that Ib had to look away, focusing on her own shoes instead.

_I'm sorry!_ She screamed mentally, struggling to keep the tears from her eyes. There was a moment of silence.

"You want to stay here, then?" Garry asked, his voice strangely flat. Ib just nodded, staring at the floor.

"Okay, then. Guess I'll go through. Good luck, Ib." Garry said softly, and when Ib risked a quick glance up, she saw the extent of the pain in her friend's eyes and had to look back down again as he brushed by them and with one final look around, jumped into the paining, becoming only another figure in the drawing.

As soon as Garry had left, Ib broke down crying, her long hair falling in front of her face as if to shield her tears from Mary. But to her surprise, she felt the other girl's slender hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"Now we can be friends for the rest of eternity!" Mary exclaimed, that childish note of happiness once more in her voice. But this time, Ib couldn't stand to hear it, and she backed away as far as she could before hitting a wall. Mary looked at her in surprise.

"I don't _want _to be your friend!" Ib yelled through her tears. Mary actually looked shocked, and stepped towards Ib, but was stopped short when Ib held up her hand threateningly.

"But…we're friends…aren't we?" Mary asked, sounding lost and confused. But Ib was past caring.

"No! My _only_ friend just jumped through that painting there, and I'm never going to see him again!" Ib cried, pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes to try and hold back the tears.

"But you said that you hated him…." Mary reminded Ib. Ib swiped at the air like she was felling an invisible enemy.

"I _lied!_ He is like a brother to me, but I lied to him. I lied to him for _you!_" She screamed. Mary stared at her, the childish happiness in her gaze hardening once more to the cold, bleak mask.

"I'm going back to your house." Ib whispered after a moment, all of her strength taken up. She didn't stop to see Mary's reaction, just stumbled away, up the stairs and back into the crayon world, walking blindly through the pouring rain and nearly falling through the door of Mary's house. After slamming the door, Ib was plunged into darkness, where she walked over to a corner and slid to the ground, hugging her knees to her chest as she openly cried. Garry was gone, she was never going to see her parents again, and she had just angered a mentally unbalanced _painting_. The future was so bleak right then that she couldn't find even a single spot of brightness amidst all of the gloom. So she just sat there, alone with her dark thoughts, alone with her guilt and her tears.

After was could have been hours, or maybe only minutes, the door slowly creaked open, gray light spilling through the darkness. Ib scooted slightly further away as Mary entered, her rain soaked hair hanging limp around her shoulders and her eyes flat and dangerous. Mary slowly closed the door behind her, plunging the room back into darkness. Ib felt a sudden icy cold fear grip her heart, knowing that she was now alone, in the dark with an unstable girl who had no qualms about killing people who got in her way. And Ib hadn't necessarily been the nicest to her either.

"I'm sorry." Ib said, her voice sounding small and scared. There was no reply, except for the occasional scuffling as Mary shifted her weight. Ib pressed her back up against the wall and tried to control her breathing. If Mary went through all of this to keep her as a friend, she surely wouldn't try to harm her…would she? The darkness really wasn't helping Ib's fear either.

As if Mary had read her mind, a light flickered to life, bright golden light filled the room and chasing away the seemingly endless darkness. Ib raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sudden light as Mary moved closer and settled down a few feet from Ib.

Ib glanced up at Mary in fear, rubbing away the last tear trails on her cheeks, but that other girl just sat there and watched Ib.

"I'm sorry." Ib repeated after a moment, but Mary slowly shook her head.

"No you're not. But that's okay, you shouldn't be. I don't blame you." Mary said quietly. Ib waited for the other girl to say something else, but Mary was once again stone-faced.

"Are you okay?" It was a stupid question; Ib regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth. Of course Mary wasn't okay, did she look like she was? But the other girl raised her head at the question.

"Have you ever been scared, Ib?" She asked, ignoring Ib's earlier question. Ib nearly laughed out loud, thinking of all the terror she had felt in the art gallery, both before and now, but managed to hold it in.

"Yeah, I've been scared. I've been so scared that I've wanted to curl up and cry." Ib admitted, pushing her anger at Mary down, replacing it with curiosity at the turn the conversation had taken. Mary glanced at her.

"What are you most scared of?" She asked quietly. Ib thought for a moment.

"Death. My death, or my family dying, I guess." Ib swallowed, forcing the picture of her mother and father and Garry from her mind.

"What about you? What's your worst fear?" She asked, wanting to keep the conversation going, to push away the silence that hung heavy in the air. Mary locked eyes with Ib, her blue eyes suddenly clouded with emotion.

"There's only one thing that I'm afraid of. One thing in the entire world that terrifies me so much, that I stay up night after night." Mary's voice was soft and slightly reluctant, but Ib was really curious now, so she pressed, "What is it?"

"The fear of being alone for all of eternity." It came out a whisper, and Ib had no doubts whatsoever that Mary spoke the truth.

There were a couple moments of silence that seemed to stretch into an eternity as Ib desperately scrambled for something to say, _anything _to say. How should she respond to _that?_ Ib finally reached out and grabbed Mary's hand, squeezing her fingers comfortingly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Ib said softly. Mary just shrugged.

"I wouldn't expect you to." She murmured, her gaze trained on their hands like they were something alien. Ib realized with a pang that Mary had probably never had someone hold her hand like this before, in the same manner that two friends might. Knowing this only made her tighten her grip, despite the fact that it was Mary's fault she was trapped here. As the thought crossed her mind, Ib suddenly got an idea.

"Um…Mary? Would you want to come with me, and we can go back home together? Back to the real world?" Ib asked cautiously. Mary's head snapped up, and her mouth opened, but Ib rushed on before any sound could come out.

"I promise you, I'm not lying. We can go home together, and you can meet my parents, and we can find Garry again, and we can all live close together." Ib glanced at one of the crayon drawings and her chest tightened.

"Like a family." She finished. Mary looked at her in shock, and then her eyes started to glisten.

"Really? You won't leave me behind like last time?" She asked, the hope clear in her eyes. Ib nodded.

"I promise. Please let us go back home. Together." Ib pleaded. Mary hesitated a moment, and then nodded, eyes shining.

"Let's go!"

**And the end of yet another chapter. I'll tyr to update sooner this time, but I don't know what school will bring…so until next time, I wish you a late Christmas and a happy new year!**

**-Hawq signing out**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm sooooo sorry I took so long again! Laziness continues to defeat me! NOOOOO! My friend was actually the one who got me motivated again for this final chapter, so if you want to thank someone, thank the Fanfiction author ItsGrell. You might also want to check out her stories, they're pretty good! Not about Ib though, but still amazing!**

**Anyway, so back to the fanfic! This is probably the final chapter of this fanfic, although I may add a little chapter detailing a day in Ib, Garry and Mary's lives in the real world together if you want! If that sounds appealing, I guess just let me know in the reviews, and if I get enough support, I'll most likely do it…if I'm not to lazy… Anyway, enough preamble. Hope you enjoy! **

Mary held Ib's hand tightly as she led the other girl through the colourful crayon world, her face alight with excitement and a childlike happiness, humming a tune softly under her breath, practically skipping.

Ib was just trailing along behind the blonde, thinking about what she would say to Garry and how she would convince him that she hadn't meant a single word that she had thrown at him plus having to persuade him that Mary had changed and was now willing to live peacefully alongside them.

Ib's brow creased as she had a new, not entirely pleasant thought. How was she ever supposed to get her parents to take Mary, a girl they had never met before, and feed, shelter, _nurture _her? Ib slowed her speed slightly, but Mary didn't seem to notice, too caught up in her obvious excitement to take note of Ib's sudden reluctance.

They had exited the now-sunny crayon world, and were now leaping down the stairs towards the portal, taking them two at a time, with Mary running full throttle and half-dragging Ib along, green and red fabric swirling around their legs.

"It's here!" Mary shouted out, skidding to a stop outside the picture frame, and staring longingly into it's depths. Then she turned to Ib and grabbed her other hand so that they were both staring into each other's eyes.

"I'm so excited!" Mary squealed, giving a little hop and squeezing Ib's hands. Ib just nodded, an unexpected smile warming her face as she watched Mary.

"What's it like to have a Mommy and Daddy?" Mary asked curiously, letting go of Ib to go up to the picture and touch the frame gently, as if afraid she'd break it. Ib thought for a moment.

"Well, it's different with each parent, but my Mom and Dad are the most amazing people ever! You're going to love them! They make snacks, and ask about your day, and take you to see huge museums like this one…" Ib found herself rambling about her parents, and probably making no sense at all, but Mary was still fixated on her, hanging on every word, blue eyes wide with wonder.

"…And anyway, you'll get to see them soon, anyhow." Ib finished, ignoring the twinge of doubt that had sprung up inside her at the words. They _would _let Mary stay. They had to! The poor girl just wanted a family, wanted someone to love, and someone who loved her back. Ib set her chin stubbornly. She would not let her Mother or Father refuse.

"So, ready to go?" Ib asked, taking a step towards the giant painting as the frame flashed once, and disappeared, as if sensing her need. But Mary was running her hand along the walls, gazing up at the ceiling, looking at everything there was to look at in the dark, creepy room. When Ib spoke, she started and looked back at the darker haired girl with wide eyes.

"So…we're finally leaving. I'm finally leaving here." Mary spoke in wonder, although there was a little apprehension in her voice. Ib smiled at her reassuringly and extended a hand.

"Come on, let's go." Mary hesitated a moment, looking back up the stairs to where her previous house had been, all chalk and crayon and colourful scribbles. And then she turned back to Ib and gave her biggest smile yet, eyes sparkling. With a light laugh, she leaped forward and grabbed Ib's hand. Ib grinned and together they stepped into the portrait, surrounded by the swirling, mixing colors as the dank room slowly faded out of sight and she was left in a weightless world with nothing but Mary's hand gripping her own to remind her that she was still alive.

When Ib opened her eyes, she was greeted by bright, steady lights, and people wandering around, pointing at pictures or talking to spouses, or tying shoelaces. There was one couple making out in a corner, and Ib discreetly avoided that area, looking instead for a splash of purplish hair or a ragged jacket overtop a green shirt. Beside her, Mary was gripping her hand even tighter, waiting in anticipation for the arrival of Ib's parents, but for the moment, Ib totally ignored her and focused on finding Garry, scanning the many different people and sculptures until she saw the familiar messy head of peculiar coloured hair hanging around by a beautifully crafted sculpture of a crimson rose.

"I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere!" Ib ordered Mary, before letting go of her hand and racing over to where Garry was standing awkwardly beside an older couple.

"Garry! Garry!" She called excitedly, nearly tripping over a confused three year old in her haste to reach him. He turned just before she barrelled into him, knocking him back a couple of steps as she buried her face in his familiar coat.

"Garry, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean any of it, I really didn't! Please don't be mad! I'm so sorry Garry, I really am!" Ib burst out, feeling him stiffen and afraid to look up in case his eyes were hard and unforgiving. When he made no reply, she scrunched her eyes shut.

"I had to! You had to leave, I just wanted you to be safe, and that was the only thing that would make you leave! I'm so sorry, Garry!" Ib paused for a minute, forcing back tears. She'd been crying far too often lately, and this was one time she was not going to give into her emotions. "And I got Mary to let me go as long as she could come back too, and we could be sisters, which I really think is a great idea, and now we're all safe, right?" Ib finished quickly. It felt like the longest time in the world that she waited for his reply, and she could have fainted with relief when she felt his arms go back around her and give a slight squeeze.

"It's okay. I forgive you." Ib looked hopefully up at Garry, who simply smiled warmly back at her.

"Thank you Garry!" She cried, ignoring the old couple who gave them disapproving looks and moved off to look at other displays, murmuring something about kids these days.

"Um…Hi, Garry." Ib turned to look at the source of the new voice, surprised to see that Marry had approached, and was wringing her hands nervously. Garry's stance hardened for a moment, but then he visibly relaxed and walked over to Mary, giving her a quick but sincere hug.

"Hey, Mary. I hear you're gonna be here for a while, huh?" Garry asked kindly, and Mary smiled uncertainly back up at him.

"Yeah." She nodded quickly. Garry ruffled her hair. "Be good." He turned back to Ib. "Ib, I'm assuming you haven't told your parents yet?" Ib shook her head sheepishly. Garry laughed.

"Well, then let me help you. C'mon." He held out both hands and the two younger girls took them, the three of them walking towards where Ib's mother and father waited, watching the three approach with curiosity.

"Ib…who are those people? Where were you for so long" Her mother asked once the three were within earshot. Ib swallowed and smiled nervously, looking to Garry for support. He smiled encouragingly and she took a breath.

"Funny story…"

**And so that concludes this fanfic. *sniff* I can't believe it's over! You guys have been great, thank you so much for supporting my Fanfiction and for all your lovely reviews, and if the ending sucks, I'm sorry, I don't have much experience with endings. Most of my stories end up scrapped before I get to finish them so… yeah. Anyway, there are too many amazing people to name who have reviewed, but thank you all, especially the ones who've been with me from the beginning. Even to you lurkers out there, thank you, thank you, thank you! Hope you enjoyed! *sniff, sob* And now... **

**-Hawq, signing out 3**


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